State of Wonder Alpha Now Available As Print & Play Decks, Tabletop Simulator Mod

09/19/2017

[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]

19th September, 2017, Higher Eclectic Ground - Following its 28th May, 2017launch on itch.io, the publicly playable pre-alpha of skill-based card game, State of Wonder, went on to debut at this year’s Gotland Game Conference for a round of play-testing.

Bugs aside, the majority of player feedback stood against the game’s lack of UI Design and Feedback Systems despite being generally well-received.

Production issues encountered in the following months however led now-sole developer of the game, Emelie Rodin, to indefinitely push back the game’s digital release that was originally estimated for 2018.

‘Right now the game has no planned digital alpha again, but there are things being worked upon that will be disclosed in due time,’ she writes.

Consequently all focus has shifted towards development of a physical, tabletop version of State of Wonder, that can now be experienced for free by means of two print and play decks alongside a mod of Berserk Games’ 2015 Tabletop Simulator.

‘Currently we are in an alpha environment, trying to get as much testing done on the elements planned for the launch of the game’s physical version, simply called State of Wonder, as well as planning ahead for the expansions to come.’ continue Rodin.

‘The Mechanics and game-play components have fallen into place, mostly with card design and art being the biggest problems as of now.‘

Rodin’s goals currently involve fostering a community of players willing to download and try the print & play decks with friends/family, engage in tournaments over the Tabletop Simulator mod, discuss the game’s existing rules designs and shaping development of physical/digital versions via one-on-one feedback therefrom.

Originally a student project helmed by a team of five at Sweden’s Uppsala University circa August, 2016, State of Wonder is a turn-based card game that tasks two-or-more players with competitively expanding their empires through the war-ravaged Kingdom of Scathia.

Following the Queen’s demise, alliances are formed and otherworldly powers are sought between the Kingdom’s various feudal regions in a desperate push for power.

Players choose from one of three such alliances to align with — The Crux Militem, Frifolk and Ritualists — whose weaknesses and strengths they must then exploit to establish dominance over the land.

This may be achieved via simple military might, training powerful Unit and Hero cards, establishing Fortification and Building cards, strategically working towards constructing a Majestic Wonder.

State of Wonder further does away with all traditionally randomized elements such as that of drawing cards, granting players full control of their decks to rely on decisions, bluffs and planning instead as means for victory.

Each game begins with the entire deck in hand, that players take turns producing and training over Start, Main, War, Battle, Retrieval and End phases. The player that wins is usually the last one standing, or one that reaches a set value on the progression counter before the other.

As such then, all that’s required to play State of Wonder’s current tabletop build is a bunch of dice, 7 counters to track progression with (paperclips, beads, etc.), at least one other person and two card decks.

As current manager and representative of South African freelance multimedia artist, Brandon Crampton‘s services, Sean Braganza of Higher Eclectic Ground had connected him with Rodin and her team-mate at the time, Simon Lundgren, preceding the game’s pre-alpha launch.

Crampton went on to create various graphic assets for State of Wonder’s play area, user interface, card faces and backgrounds before taking a brief break through the months of June and July.

‘The art style I’ve implemented has personally been influenced by Blizzard’s Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering; as both have amazing top-notch artwork, I figured it would be something to aim for.’ stated the artist then, who has yearned to expand his digital art talent into card-based game design ever since commencing his freelance career.

Since August, this year, production resumed with Crampton at the helm of State of Wonder’s graphic design, who continues to develop various card illustrations and relevant visual necessities ever since.

While a few of these designs seen attached as assets pertinent to this press release, perhaps a more comprehensive look at the game and its imagery can be obtained via State of Wonder’s re-designed website.

In keeping with her renewed focus on community development, the website sees developer Emelie Rodin now maintain a regular developer log, a comprehensive breakdown of State of Wonder’s universe, alongside a detailed downloadable rulebook for those exploring the card game for the first time.

To interact with the developer, discover other play-testers, provide feedback and get involved in State of Wonder, a dedicated Discord Channel is also in effect.

With Brandon Crampton continuing to work on State of Wonder, expect to hear a lot more from the card game’s development progress and milestones.

Alternatively, you may sign-up for e-mail updates on Crampton’s profile on Higher Eclectic Ground, that also houses a detailed breakdown of his portfolio of work, professional history, experience, references and a contact form to connect.

This Press Release was brought to you by Sean Braganza of Higher Eclectic Ground, manager and representative of freelance multimedia artist Brandon Crampton’s 2D/3D art services for games.

To get in touch with Brandon Crampton and collaborate with him on your games, or for any queries pertaining to this release, schedule an interview or the like, please e-mail sean.b@highereg.com

About Brandon Crampton

A freelancing 2D digital artist and 3D modeller based within South Africa, Brandon Crampton is also an avid game development enthusiast with up to four positively received Android games on his portfolio.

In the 2D digital medium, he specialises in concept artwork and game sprites while being proficient in the creation of portraits, illustrations, vector art and so forth.

His 3D creations on the other hand fall within the domain of modelling fantasy creatures, assets and monsters, their rigging and animation.